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Momma hospitalized info please!

Hi,
My baby boy is 5 weeks 3 days old and EBF until Thursday night, when I was admitted to the hospital for an incision and drainage for an abscess in my left breast (really long story posted on breastfeeding support page for 0-3 months). I have been unable to nurse from the left breast for the past 2-3 weeks, so I have been nursing 12-18 times per day on the right breast. Baby had good diaper output and slow, but good weight gain, reaching birth weight at 4 weeks (slight hiccup as right breast worked to increase supply initially). Based on this one-sided breastfeeding, my breasts are very lopsided, so I do not want to over pump on the right as my back is already starting to feel the strain of lopsidedness. How much should I pump in order to maintain supply and not increase? How often? I have been pumping (and dumping due to medications-boo!) about every 2-3 hours 1-2 oz over 10 min. Does this seem like a good amount to maintain supply? I'm hoping I'll be clear to use the pumped milk for baby starting later today (still waiting to hear about next antibiotic and if it will be ok for BFing). I may be discharged from the hospital today or tomorrow, praying its not longer!!!!

Re: Momma hospitalized info please!

Yikes, mama, I am so sorry that you've landed in the hospital!

I strongly suggest contacting Infant Risk (http://www.infantrisk.com/) and making sure that dumping your pumped milk is really necessary. A lot of docs are overcautious and sometimes misinformed about medications and lactation.

There is no 100% perfect answer to your question about how often to pump your right in order to maintain supply but not increase it. Your response to pumping is as unique as you are. But I think that you are not currently pumping enough to maintain supply. 5 week old babies typically need more like 2-4 oz every 2-3 hours, and you're somewhat below that. I'd encourage you to either pump a little more frequently or to maintain your current schedule but pump for a longer time.

Re: Momma hospitalized info please!

I read you previous post a couple of days ago and So sorry to hear you are in the hospital. I agree with mommal about the quantity. My son drinks milk from the bottle (I exclusively pump my milk) and he drinks about 2 1/2 - 3 ounces every 2-3 hours. He is 4 1/2 weeks old. Hope this gives you some insight but like mommal said everyone is different. Good luck and keep us posted!

Re: Momma hospitalized info please!

Thanks for the info and support! Working on pumping more-having less pain meds in me now means I'm less sleepy, so I can pump more frequently. Found out it is a MRSA infection. They are putting me on antibiotics that are ok for nursing and now that I'm over 24 hours post-op I can give little guy the milk I pump and they are letting me get dressed and go downstairs to visit with baby! (This floor was deemed unsafe for baby to stay the night, so I'd rather him not be here at all!). Still waiting to hear if I'll be discharged today or tomorrow.

If baby has only had formula Friday night through Sunday or Monday, do I need to wean him back to BF full time, or can we just switch back? My supply shouldn't be down too much from just a couple days of pumping instead of nursing, right?

Re: Momma hospitalized info please!

Hi mama, that's great to hear that you will be discharged soon. What an ordeal. How much have you been pumping these past couple days? A 5 week old baby should be taking in around 24-30 oz. So if you've been pumping close to that range, I would think you could switch over to all BF, make sure the breast is readily available, nurse frequently, and just monitor his diapers closely to make sure he has plenty of wets and dirties. But based on your original post, it sounds like you may be somewhat under that number, so you may want to wean the formula off more gradually. If you can pump when giving formula that will help your supply get back to where it needs to be. Here's a link from kelly mom about weaning off of supplements:http://kellymom.com/bf/got-milk/basi...rease-formula/

Re: Momma hospitalized info please!

Mama, have the docs talked to you about the source of the MRSA? It's possible that other members of your family have it, even if they are asymptomatic and it's probably a good idea to culture the entire household.

Re: Momma hospitalized info please!

Discharged yesterday afternoon! So happy to be home. Little man latched on like nothing had happened. Today has been full of naps and nursing. I'll have to ask the doc when I'm back in on Wednesday if baby and hubby (and the dog?) should be tested. Thanks for the idea.

Re: Momma hospitalized info please!

Re: Momma hospitalized info please!

Originally Posted by @llli*babyhiccups

Discharged yesterday afternoon! So happy to be home. Little man latched on like nothing had happened. Today has been full of naps and nursing. I'll have to ask the doc when I'm back in on Wednesday if baby and hubby (and the dog?) should be tested. Thanks for the idea.

Glad to hear that you're home!

If the doc doesn't think your family and dog need to be tested, I think I would insist on it. I mean, your baby is brand-new, and that suggests a strong possibility that the MRSA was acquired in the hospital when you went in to give birth (assuming you had the baby in the hospital, that is). But there are no guarantees that you didn't pick it up from your husband or the dog, who are both potential vectors. Or that they haven't caught it from you, at this point.